Recently, the age where the web is used to simply show information to a user has changed into a new age where the software of a user receives a result so as to automatically process a lot of tasks. When a web service technology is applied to various services such as electronic commercial transaction and information searching which are currently achieved on the web, a lot of tasks which have not been automatically processed so far can be automated. Then, it is possible to maximize the productivity and effectiveness of information systems as well as the convenience for users.
Recently, the structure of information existing on the web is being changed. That is, information having a new form, which can be analyzed and processed by computers, is being added to the existing information. The information is referred to as meta data. When the meta data is added into the current web, computers can analyze the meaning of information through the meta data and processes the information, which is referred to as ‘Semantic Web’.
In the Semantic Web which can be understood by a computer, information is easily searched, shared, reused, and combined. That it, languages and rules which can be understood by computers are prescribed so that communication between computers can be achieved.
The Semantic Web has been constructed as an idea of Tim Berners-Lee, an inventor of the World Wide Web and is considered as one standard, a computer language, and an information processing technology.
The Semantic Web is composed of XML (eXtensible Markup Language), XML schema, RDF (Resource Description Framework), RDF schema, and OWL (Ontology Web Language). As for a related research, there are ontology based on RDF and a topic map researched by ISO (International Organization for Standardization). The ontology is a technique where attributes are imparted to the web such that the meaning of information can be easily understood, and the topic map is a technique where knowledge and information are separately managed through a new language such as XTM (XML Topic Maps) based on XML.
In the Semantic Web, computers can understand the web pages in accordance with rules so as to search and provide various sites. Therefore, it is convenient to effectively manage an enormous information network. Further, it is possible to provide graphs or data created by using a spread sheet. Therefore, the Semantic Web can be utilized in the electronic commercial transaction, the system integration, an intelligent robot system and the like.
Particularly, when the Semantic Web is applied to electronic commercial transaction, a lot of tasks which have not been able to be processed can be automatically processed. In a typical type of Internet shopping, a purchaser visits Internet shopping mails, sees products, and selects a product to purchase. On the Semantic Web, however, meta information on a product standard, a transaction condition and the like as well as product information is provided in each Internet shopping mall. In such an environment, computers can perform price negotiation as well as searching of a desired product in place of people.
The Semantic Web can be effectively utilized in a B-to-B system integration field and a value-added searching field as well as in the electronic commercial transaction. Further, the Semantic Web is considered to be a core technology which can change the paradigm of information communication in the near future.
In the existing web service, the WSDL (Web Service Description Language) based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is used. In the Semantic Web service, however, a web service description language such as DAML-S (DAPRA Agent Markup Language-Service) based on an ontology language is used. Researches on the Semantic Web service are performed in view of web service searching, web service driving, web service configuration, web service execution monitoring and the like.
In the Semantic Web environment, URIs which can clearly discriminate information are essential, and information needs to be formalized so as to be represented by ontology.
Conventionally, however, such a technique has not been developed, which can effectively design an actual information flow by registering and managing outcome information in the Semantic Web environment.